1. Field of the Disclosed and Claimed Inventive Concepts
The presently disclosed and/or claimed inventive concept(s) relates generally to the use of nonionic hydrophobically modified polysaccharides in personal care and household care compositions. More specifically, but not by way of limitation, the presently disclosed and/or claimed inventive concept(s) relates to the use of hydrophobically-modified cellulose ethers, such as hydrophobically-modified hydroxyethylcellulose (HMHEC) polymers in personal care and household care compositions. These compositions show pronounced syneresis in aqueous solutions or in the presence of surfactants, including nonionic surfactants and anionic surfactants such as lauryl sulfate (LS) and lauryl ether sulfate (LES). It is also contemplated that the surfactants used in the compositions be sulfate free and/or multi-tailed.
2. Background
In the prior art, the commonly used approach to deliver a polymer coating from personal care or household compositions is through the use of complex formations between cationic polymers and anionic surfactants. It is well-known that for hair care, cleansing skin care, and fabric care applications, the conditioning mechanism for polymers with cationic functionality is based on dilution deposition of a cationic polymer-anionic surfactant complex, referred to as a coacervate complex, which has both a cationic polymer and an oppositely charged surfactant. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,422,280). As a result of this mechanism, commercial products such as cationic guars, cationic hydroxyethylcellulose, and synthetic cationic polymers show high efficacy in conditioning shampoos, skin care cleansing formulations, and fabric cleansing/conditioning formulations.
In personal care applications, such as in hair care and skin care, and in household care applications, there is a desire to deposit a coating onto the substrate (e.g., hair, skin, fabric, etc.) that reduces the energy needed to move a comb through the hair in the wet or dry state or delivers a silky, soft feel to the skin or fabric. This coating can also act to improve the luster and moisture retention of the hair and skin, as well as their manageability and feel.
The discovery of the improved deposition of silicone resins from cleansing formulations, such as shampoos, using cationic polymer-anionic surfactant complexes has led to the development of this approach to condition hair, skin, and fabric. However, the tendency for silicone to buildup on the hair after repeated washings with silicone shampoos, and the desire for clear conditioning formulations has left a strong market need for alternative approaches to achieve silicone-like conditioning on hair, skin, and fabric substrates with or without silicone resins.
Additionally, conditioners containing cationic polymers, with or without silicones/emollients, can irritate skin and are considered to be harmful to the environment despite providing good cleansing and detangling properties for hair. Unfortunately, attempts at replacing the cationic polymers in these compositions have been found lacking in terms of their ability to confer significant and predictable conditioning to keratin substrates as compared to the environmentally harmful, cationically charged polymers. As such, a need remains in the industry to provide an environmentally friendly conditioner capable of providing the same or better conditioning performances as those containing cationic polymers but with less aqua toxicity (i.e., less environmentally harmful water soluble or waterborne components) and less skin irritancy.
Furthermore, there is an underlying need for compositions having an improved overall conditioning performance combined with other desirable attributes such as improved hair volume and manageability, hair repair, hair color retention, skin moisturization and moisture retention, fragrance retention, sunscreen longevity on hair, skin, and fabrics, flavor enhancement and antimicrobial performance in oral care applications, and fabric abrasion resistance and colorfastness in household applications.
Prior to the presently disclosed and/or claimed inventive concept(s) invention, water soluble polysaccharides have been used in personal care applications, such as cleansing and cosmetic skin care, hair care, and oral care applications, and in household applications such as cleaning, sanitizing, polishing, toilet preparations, and pesticide preparations. Water soluble polysaccharides have additionally been used in applications such as air deodorants/fresheners, rug and upholstery shampoos, insect repellent lotions, all purpose kitchen cleaner and disinfectants, toilet bowl cleaners, fabric softener-detergent combinations, fabric softeners, fabric sizing agents, dishwashing detergents, and vehicle cleaners and shampoos. Widely used commercially available polysaccharides include water soluble polysaccharide ethers such as methyl cellulose (MC), hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC), hydroxyethylcellulose (HEC), hydroxypropylcellulose (HPC), ethylhydroxyethylcellulose (EHEC), hydroxypropyl (HP) guar, hydroxyethyl guar, guar, starch, and other nonionic starch and guar derivatives.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,106,609, 5,104,646, 6,905,694, and 5,100,658 are examples of patents that disclose the use of hydrophobically modified cellulose ethers in cosmetic products. These patents disclose the use of high weight average molecular weight (i.e., 300,000 to 700,000) and alkyl carbon substitution in the hydrophobe (i.e., 3 to 24 carbons) for use in cosmetic compositions. U.S. Pat. No. 4,243,802 discloses a hydrophobically modified nonionic, water-insoluble, surfactant-soluble cellulose ether composition. The use of this material to increase the viscosity of an acidic shampoo composition and to emulsify oil in water emulsions is mentioned. Also, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,228,277 and 4,352,916 describe hydrophobically modified cellulose ether derivatives modified with long chain alkyl group substitution in the hydrophobe. U.S. Pat. No. 5,512,091 discloses hydrogel compositions containing water-insoluble hydrophobically modified cellulose ethers. Publication US2001/0043912 discloses anti-frizz hair care compositions containing a hydrophobically modified cellulose ether thickener. U.S. Pat. No. 4,845,207 discloses a hydrophobically modified nonionic, water-soluble cellulose ether and U.S. Pat. No. 4,939,192 discloses the use of such ether in building compositions. U.S. Pat. No. 4,960,876 discloses hydrophobically modified galactomannan compositions as thickeners for use in paint, paper, and ceramic applications. U.S. Pat. No. 4,870,167 discloses hydrophobically modified nonionic polygalactomannan ethers prepared from long-chain aliphatic epoxides, and suggests their possible use in cosmetics, including hand lotions, shampoos, hair treatment compounds, toothpastes, and gels for cleaning teeth. U.S. Pat. No. 6,387,855 discloses aqueous compositions containing silicone, a surfactant, and a hydrophobic galactomannan gum for washing and conditioning keratin.
Additionally, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,284,230 and 7,470,651 and Publication No. 2006/0293197 disclose the deposition of active ingredients to hair through the well-known process of forming a coacervate complex. U.S. Pat. No. 4,892,589 discloses the combination of water-soluble, nonionic hydrophobically modified hydroxyethylcellulose and water-soluble, nonionic hydroxyethylcellulose composition used for cement. U.S. Pat. No. 4,902,499 discloses a hair care composition containing a rigid silicone polymer, and U.S. Publication No. 2004/0076595 discloses a hair care composition containing a cationic thickener, nonionic thickener, or mixtures thereof, and at least one cationic surfactant, wherein the composition preferably also contains a silicone compound. U.S. Pat. No. 6,589,517 discloses a leave on conditioner, i.e., a hair conditioner that is intended to be used without a rinsing step. U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,074,996 and 6,191,083 disclose the use of cationic polymeric agents. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 5,855,878 discloses a cosmetic composition containing a hydrophobically modified nonionic polymer and an unsaturated quaternary ammonium surfactant, however, such composition is incapable of providing adequate performance for conditioning hair due to the surfactants claimed therein being incompatible with typical shampoo compositions.
The performance of water-soluble and water-insoluble hydrophobically modified celluloses has been found lacking in terms of their ability to confer significant and predictable conditioning to keratin substrates. Hence, a need still exists in the industry to have cellulose ethers that confer significant and predictable conditioning to keratin substrates and deposit films onto solid substrates, such as fabrics, when delivered from aqueous compositions.
Additionally, nonionic hydrophobically modified polysaccharides have also been found lacking in terms of their ability to confer significant and predictable conditioning to keratin substrates without using environmentally harmful cationically charged polymers. As such, an additional need exists in the industry for a method of utilizing environmentally friendly nonionic cellulose ethers capable of conferring significant and predictable conditioning to keratin substrates, such as hair, when delivered from aqueous compositions.